Automatic valve mechanism



1. CJHANSEN-ELLEHAMMER.

AUTOMATIC VALVE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15. I919.

- Patented July 12, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

moon CHRISTIAN HANSEN-ELLEHAMMER, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK.

AUTOMATIC VALVE MECHANISM. r

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 12, 1921.

Application filed April 15, 1919. Serial No. 290,245.

.in steam engines, compressed air engines,

and similar engines, and its object is to regulate this admission with essentially simpler means than the ordinary slide or other valve mechanism.

The invention consists in a device for conducting the driving means through a counter-valve constructed for measuring off automatically a predetermined quantity. of the driving means. The Working of this device will in the following be explained with ref erence to the drawing, which diagrammatically shows the valve in four different positions.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the piston in a low position and the valve and plunger down; a

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the piston partially raised and the plunger elevated;

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the pistion fully raised, the plunger elevated and the valve open, and

Fig. 4 is a similar view with the piston partially retired but with the valve still open and the plunger raised.

As the piston 7, during its upward course, approaches the dead point (see the short arrow 8 in Fig. 2), the here described admission valve 11, disposed between the inlet 9 for the driving means and the cylinder 10, will be lifted a certain distance from its seat, owing to the fact that the valve 11 is provided with a member 12 lying in the course of the piston as the latter approaches the dead point. As soon as this first loosen ing of the valve 11 has taken place, and the pressures above and below the valve have thereby become equalized, the valve will automatically be brought into the quite open position shown in Fig. 3, by means of a special, automatically working counteracting device described in detail in the following. During the ensuing downward movement of the piston (see the arrow 13 in Fig. i

4), the driving means rushes into the cylinder until the working of the special counteracting device is automatically caused to cease, after which the valve closes, and the admitted driving means expands.

In the shown example, the said counteractmg device consists in a spring 14 and a rod-shaped member 16 collaborating therewith. The spring 14, which is disposed in the hollow rod 15 of the valve, is placed between the bottom of said hollow rod 15 and a head on the rod-shaped member 16, the latter projecting through the valve and extending into the cylinder (see Figs. 1 and 4). i

During-the rising of the piston (see the arrow 1? in Fig. 1), the piston will, at a certain point of time, come intocontact with the member 16, lift it, and still further compress the spring 14, while the pressure of the driving. means will hold the valve 11 fast against its seat, thereby also holding the upper contact-point of the'spring" fast. But, as soonas the aforesaid first loosening of the valve 11 (see Fig. 2) and its consequent release from the pressure of the driving means has taken place, the spring 14" will bring the valve into the fully open position shown in Fig.3, where it is'stopped by mately at, the dead point, and-thus the drivlng means has been at rest, with the exception of the slight movement that may have taken place during the equalizing of the pressures in the inlet pipe 9 for the driving means and inthe very small free space in the cylinder respectively,

During the ensuing downward movement of the piston (see the arrow 13 in Fig. 4), the driving means rushes into the cylinder, and the member 16, which together with the spring 14 holds the valve lifted, descends with the piston, but the valve remains open 85 strikingagainst the member 18 serving as guide for the valve rod 15. f During this a a process, the piston has been at, or approxi- 5 Fig. 4, the valve will be held open by the member 16 during approximately the same length of time as that required .for said memberIG to'move, during the ascending of the piston, from the position shown in Fig. l to that shown in Fig. 3, so that the length of this member.

'duced into the cylinder.

in Fig. 1, the aforesaid cycle of events will be automatically repeated, id est, first. the compression ofthe spring 14, then the first loosening of the valve 11, and the valves spring up into its wholly open position, at the time that the piston isat its top position, and finally the regulating by the member 16 of the fresh quantityof driving means during the ensuing downwardstroke."

1. In combination with an engine com-.

posed of acylinder and a piston,-of a chamber communicating with the cylinder and in connection with; a source of supply of a driving medium, a valve for controlling the communication between said chamber and cylinder and acted onby the engine to open a small degree when the piston approaches the dead center wherebyto put the valve in a condition of balance acted upon equally on'both sides by thedriyin'g medium, and resilient means compressible by the engine a as the piston approaches the dead point and connected to said valve whereby to cause the 7 opening of the latter to a predetermined degree.

2. In combination with ,an engine, of a chamber connected thereto and in communication with a source of driving medium supply, valve means controlling communication between said chamber and engine and adapted to be automatically opened bythe engine, and resilientmeans adapted to be automatically compressed by the engine prior to the opening 01": said valve means and carried by the latter, said resilient means adapted to expand when pressure upon the valve means is equalized and open the latter to exposea predetermined port area.

3; In combination with an engine, of a chamber in connection therewith and having communication with a source of driving medium supply, a valve for controlling the communication between said chamber and engine and adapted to be held seated by the pressurewithin the chamber of the drivingmedium, said valve having a projection acted on by the engine to open the valve sufiiciently to balance the pressure thereon, a hollow valve stem carried by the valve,

'a guide therefor, 'a plunger in the valve stem,:spr1ng means inthe stem adapted to be put under compression by the plunger,

said springmeans adapted to expand fol lowing compression of the same whereby to open the valve through its hollow stem to a predetermined degree, and a rod on the plunger acted on by the engine to cause compression of the spring means.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presenceof two subscribing witnesses,

JACOB CHRISTIAN,HANSEN-ELLEHAMMER. 

